The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-01-14
MISER PERRY
AND HIS PARTNER FROZEN TO
DEATH,

DEATH.
Characteristic Incidents in the Life
of Philadelphia's Great Miser-
Thousands Of Dollars Found Stuff
Ell in Old Boxes -Who the People
are That Will Get His Money
Frozen to death.
That was the verdict of the Coroner's
jury yesterday after it had heard the tale
of the miserable life and horrible end of
Miser Joe Perry and his eccentric cousin
and companion, Dick Price. The room
was crowded with curious people, white
and black, who were quietly discussing
the wretched existence of the old man
and the discovery of the valuable posses
sions of Perry when the Coroner began
the formal inquest on the bodies of the
recluses.
a stout old man, with a clean shaven,
Roman-like face, was the initial witness.
He was Samuel Campbell, of 55 Foulkrod
street, Frankfort. the brother-in-law of
Ferry. Dick Price had lived with the
Perry family since he was a little boy,
and Joe Perry and DICK had passed over
forty years together in the old house.
Perry was seldom seen by his relatives
and none of them were allowed to enter
the dismal home of the ill-natured miser
and the erratic carpenter. The most in
teresting witness was old John McGOugh,
of 1, 0O2 Locust street. He is a smooth
faced, earnest son of the Emerald Isle.
He formerly kept a saloon on Locust
street, and had known Perry for nearly
thirty years. His story of the mona p-
pearance of the men and the discovery
of their frozeI, bodies in the gloomy
house was told with a delightful brogue
and an originality of description. Law
yer Hepburn, the representative of the
heirs: Neighbor John McKenna and Scr
geant Matthews and Officer Miller, of the
Fifth district, related their part in the
finding of the dead men. DIR. Stewart
said that there was no evidence on either
body, no traces of poison except the old
evidence of the copiOus use of vile
whisky, and that their deaths were
caused by freezing.
PERRY AS A TEMPERANCE MAN.
There were numerous recitals of Incl
dents characteristic of Perry and Price.
The miser auctioneer was at one time a
fanatical enemy of whisky, although
his firm sold thousands Of barrels of
liquor. He despised a man whom he
would suspect of even having touched
John Barleycorn, and yet Perry came
in time to be a slave of drink, and that
the worst that the least money could
buy in the slums. Price is said to have
led his cousin into dissOlute habits. No
document, it is thought, disposing of
Perrys he ard and real estate will ever
be found. He was a man who had a
deep aversion to making a will, as he
believed that it would be the ominous
forerunner of his death. He wanted to
live forever.
While his kinspeople were as unwel-
come in his filthy quarters as the winter
sun or the summer zephyrs, vet the old
miser would be at times struck with the
notion of paving visit to the homes of
his relatives. But he was an original
and mighty brief visitor. He had cous-
ins living in Salem. Las: summer he
walked into the New Jersey home like a
grim, stalking phantom of a man. His
greasy, threadbare coat, tattered trous-
ers, battered hat and broken shoes made
him look like a scarecrOw. He entered
at the front, and, without uttering
word, passed through the house, and
glancing at the flower garden in the
rear, shot into the road and was soon on
his way back to the city. He couldn't
pass the night away from his horde in
the Locust street house. Some time ago
he went up to Frankfort. The rusty
son and married daughters of his dead
sister, and then hurried on the return to
his miserable Cousin Dick.
THE SEARCH FOR TREASURE.
The hunt for gold in the Locust street
house was not resumed yesterday. Law
Hepburn, who represents the heirs. will
take out letters of administration on the
estate and the search for hidden wealth
will then be renewed under the direct
ion of the heirs. But the house was not
undisturbed yesterday. Clerk DOnal,
of the Coroner's office. and the counselor
went into the place at O'Clock.
The heirs of Perry had made a touch
ing request that they be given immedi-
ate possession of the portrait Of their
uncle. When the dusty, antique. foot
square oil painting of the dead miser
was released from its rotten cords and
few papers gathered up, the men left for
the lawyers Office, but not before in
structing a guard to protect the house |
from intruders.
Shortly before 3 o'clock the lawyer re-
turned to the office of the Coroner. The |
$l05, 900 in cash and securities were
stuffed in the two old wooden boxes that |
were found in the miser's home, and !
with Clerk Donal and Undertaken Mat
thews carrying the precious boxes, LAW |
yer Hepburn led the way to the Phila- |
deIphia Trust, safe Deposit and lnsu- |
rance Company, on Chestnut street, !
above Fourth, where the miser's wealth |
was deposited.
A little wooden house at No. 55 FOulk- |
rod street, Frankfort. which stands |
back from the roadway and at whose |
front swings a sign with the legend |
milk for Sale" is the home of four of !
the five heirs, among whom will be di- |
vided the savings of miser Perry. The /
direct heirs are the son and three daugh- |
tiers of Samuel Campbell, who
married a sister of Joe Perry. |
All the young folks are married. The |
nephew is William Perry Campbell, . |
dealer in milk. Sarah one of the nieces,
is the wife of Thomas X. Cave, . cai yer /
in browns umbrella mandatory at |
Frankfort. Another niece IL Mrs. An |
ME Comfy, a widow, who lives with her |
father and the families of her brother |
and sister Sarah in the old Wooden